~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, their dogs, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

Another great craft to share with you all! These tiny birdhouses are quaint, gorgeous and totally customized!

We began this project with these tiny little wooden birdhouses that I found at Michael’s craft store for $1.50 each, a few months ago. As they were very pale we decided to do a paint ‘wash’ by simply painting them with watered-down watercolor paint and also dipping the bright string in the dirty water so that the entire house would look old and weathered.

Then we hung them to dry. I love how each one looks different from the others.

A few weeks later, E and I went out into the woods with baskets and gloves and gathered twigs, pine cones, bark, moss, lichen, leaves, dried flowers and large sticks. We put the baskets in the craft room to dry out for the next few weeks until their next visit.

Two weeks later, M and E came over and we began decorating the tiny bird houses with the gathered material. We used pruning shears and scissors (or our fingers) to cut things to size and wood glue to stick the natural material onto the houses.

Here’s E’s birdhouse in progress…

Here’s M’s birdhouse, also in progress… I found these tiny little birds (also at Michael’s) and couldn’t resist buying them for this craft.

Here is mine. It is not quite finished yet as I used up a lot of prep time pre-drilling holes then screwing my house to a thick branch (from the bottom). I’ll add some moss and lichen later.

And here are the finished products: our little birdhouse village! M and E left theirs here to dry out completely until their next visit when they’ll take them home. I am so pleased with how these turned out! Not only did we each have a very cool birdhouse at the end of the project, but we had a fun time together chatting, wandering the woods and sharing great ideas. I haven’t decided where I’m going to put mine yet, but I think I’m already ready to make another one!